"To what purpose are powers limited, and to what purpose is that limitation committed to writing,
if these limits may, at any time, be passed by those intended to be restrained?"
-- Chief Justice John Marshall, Marbury v. Madison, 1803

Moving On In

by Lee

This is a really stupid move on the part of the Israelis.

Israel announced Thursday it would build 565 new homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, violating a U.S.-backed peace plan and angering Palestinians already seething over plans to build a security barrier deep into the West Bank.

The “road map” peace plan requires a freeze in construction in some 150 Jewish settlements throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which Israel seized in the 1967 Middle East war.

However, an Israeli official said Israel did not have any responsibility to meet its obligations until Palestinians crack down on militant groups.

“The road map is stalled as long as there is no action taken by the Palestinians to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure,” said Zalman Shoval, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

The Israelis can currently claim the moral high ground.  By responding in kind only when attacked they can rightfully claim self-defense.  But by moving settlers into the West Bank they’re, in the eyes of many, going to be seen as antagonizing and provoking the Palestinians.  I’m not for a second suggesting that suicide bombings are a legitimate response to the settlements, only that it is going to give the Palestinians justification for continuing.  It’s part of the Road Map, and they should stick to it.

The gains cannot be worth the risks in this case.  It’s a stupid, stupid thing to do.

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